The Drabbles: A Short Piece on Everything!
by xDominoe
Summary: Romance, friendship, adventure, and more in less than 2000 words! What more could you ask for? Perhaps sending me any requests for one of these fine drabbles? You betcha! See inside for individual details. THIRD DRABBLE UP!
1. STORYTELLING I

**A/N: Hey folks!! Welcome to my first drabble series ever!!! (xD luckies)**

**So I'm going to be writing a bunch of random 1000-3000 word drabbles on ATLA, with various shippings. BTW, not all are romance-oriented and some are AU / involving other characters / continuations of each other.**

**Here's the majorly important part: you guys NEED to send me your ideas!! You think it, I'll write it. (maybe I should make that my motto)**

**I'm going to start out with a short-ish Tokka fic, because no one can hate them -- they're so cute!**

--

STORYTELLING I

To the world, Toph was the greatest Earthbender and the first Metalbender in the world. To her kids, she was that, plus the greatest mother anyone could have... and also, the greatest storyteller ever. Toph sat in her designated place in her children's loft. She knew that they all depended on these stories: they were young as long as they found pleasure in this nightly routine... and so was she. Her youngest children, two twin boys, were already four -- time was slipping by. But as long as they had these stories to share, they were all frozen in a world where time did not pass, and remembering was everything.

"What do you want to hear about?" Toph asked. Her voice was gentle with her children, not as rough as it had been in her youth, but her tongue was still sharp as any blade when she wanted it to be.

"Mommy," Aiko, her oldest, whispered in a cherubic voice. "You've told us about when you met Daddy, but it didn't sound like you were going to get married. Tell me, when did you guys fall in love?"

Toph was shocked. Her eldest daughter was just seven -- how could she already know what it was to love? Time must really be moving fast for her to have missed that. Hiding her surprise, Toph said, "I don't know exactly when I fell in love with him, but I can tell you when I realized it. Is that okay with you?"

"Yes, Mommy," Aiko and her two brothers, Kaju and Piu, agreed.

"Okay, then. Let's begin..." And Toph and her children were swept away into the world of everlasting memory.

--

_"Where's the closest airship?" Toph asked. _

_"It's right --" Sokka didn't have time to finish; Toph had sent them all hurtling toward where he had pointed. Sokka and Suki landed first, then caught Toph as she plummeted toward the metal railing._

_They tip-toed quietly upto the captain's chamber, then Toph smashed it down using her Metalbending, creating her own armor. She easily took out the three men in the room, finishing with a quick, "That's how it's done."_

_Sokka instructed Suki to start steering the airship after congratulating Toph for making such quick work of three armed soldiers. _

_"What are we gonna' do about the rest of the crew?" Suki asked, taking the wheel._

_"Take us down closer to the water," Sokka replied. "I've got an idea." _

"Always the idea guy, your father," Toph interjected.

_Taking the speaker and clearing his throat, he announced in a deep voice, "Attention, crew. This is your captain speaking. Will everyone please report to the bar bay immediately for hot cakes and sweetmeats. We have a very special birthday to celebrate."_

_Then, as the ship neared the ocean's surface, Sokka pulled a lever and the bottom hatch opened, releasing the entire crew into the ice cold water._

_After a while of flying, Sokka withdrew his eyes from the captain's telescope, worry -for once- crossing his face. "We're not going to catch up to him in time!" he exclaimed. Of course, he was referring to 'Phoenix King' Ozai. The three watched in horror as Ozai began to burn the entire ground, Sozin's Comet giving him strength to do what he wouldn't have been able to do otherwise._

_Sokka, meanwhile, had glued his eye back onto the telescope. "What just happened?" Suki asked, anxious, as the very air seemed to shake with an unseen force of impact._

_"It's Aang! He's back!" Sokka shouted. _

_A smile lit up Toph's face as Sokka watched, abandoning his telescope._

_"Go Aang! Airbending slice!" _

"Only your Daddy would ever say that," Toph said, laughing.

_"Shouldn't we be helping him?" Suki asked._

_"The FireLord is Aang's fight. We need to stay focused on stopping that fleet from burning down the Earth Kingdom." Sokka knew his task; you had to give him that._

_"And how do we do that, Captain Boomerang? I can't see outside of this floating hunk of metal!" Unfortunately for Sokka, Toph always had a biting remark._

_Sokka's face lit up as it dawned on him. He spoke two words: "Airship slice!" This earned him one-and-a-half strange looks from his companions._

_Sokka took control of the ship and maneuvered back into line with the others just as the heads of each other airship began to Firebend with all of their strength, which was magnified by the comet._

_"Whoa," Toph commented. "That's a lot of fire, isn't it."_

_Sokka set the controls and they made their way to the top of the ship. "Then what?" Suki asked._

_"We watch each others' backs, and if we make it that far, I'll let you know." Sokka gave Suki a quick kiss on the lips._

"Ewww!" Kaju squealed. "Daddy _kissed_ Aunty Suki?" he asked, incredulous.

"Yep," Toph answered drily. "They were a couple back in the day."

"But then," Aiko said, smiling, "Daddy finally saw who Mommy really was, and swept her off her feet." She sighed, flopping back on her cushion.

"That's right," Toph laughed. "He sure did."

_The three teens stood their ground as their stolen airship barreled into one of the fleet after another. Soon, the ship broke apart, and Suki fell back. "Suki!!" Sokka shouted._

_After a bit of a fall, she landed on her feet and yelled back, "I'm okay! Just finish the mission!"_

_"No," Sokka whispered._

_But he was interrupted by Toph. "Sokka, I think we've gotta --"_

_"JUMP!" they shouted in unison, as they did just that. Sokka shielded her from the falling debris. __They got up and Sokka pulled her along another crumbling airship. "Toph," he instructed. "Metalbend the rudders so that they're jammed in a turning position. The ship will spiral and slam into the others."_

_"Got it," she nodded, moving Sokka firmly out of the way. She spit on both her hands and let out a groan as the work began. Soon she had finished._

_"Have I ever mentioned how sweet it is that you invented Metalbending?"_

_"You could stand to mention it more."_

_But trouble wasn't over; a firebender found them and they had to run again as he shot a flaming comet at them._

_Sokka jumped over the ledge, Toph in one hand and his space-earth-sword in the other. He used it to cut through the airship, hoping it would slow them down._

_It didn't. Toph let out a continuous scream as they plummeted downward. Sokka finally let go of the sword and dropped onto a ledge, his leg bent at an odd angle. Toph's hand remained firmly inside his, or she would have fallen._

_"Aah, my leg! Hang on, Toph!" Sokka screamed as Firebenders approached._

_"Aye-aye, captain." Toph's reply was pleading, not her usual sarcastic tone._

_Just as a Firebender sent a flame their way, Sokka sent his boomerang back to twist his aim. _

_"Bye, space sword," he pouted as it fell into an abyss of clouds and smoke. Recovering, he said, "I don't think boomerang is coming back, Toph. It looks like this is the end." _

_And Toph, tough girl though she was, cried. _

"Mom, you're crying!" Piu noticed, peeking through the cracks in his fingers, which were covering his eyes.

"That was when I knew I loved your father. He didn't let go, even to save his own life." Toph's voice was barely above a whisper, its owner still recovering from tears.

"Well?" Kaju asked. "What happened next? Finish the story, Mommy!"

_Suddenly, an airship crashed into theirs with a screeching sound. Sokka dropped Toph safely onto this newcomer, then falling and hurting his twisted leg even more. _

_"How did that happen?" Toph asked, incredulous. "Did boomerang come back?"_

_"No," Sokka looked up. "Suki did!"_

_Suddenly, red and blue light began to fill the sky; somehow the three knew it was the Avatar's work. Just as the red began to overpower the blue, it was eliminated in a sudden burst of energy. Both lights faded from the sky._

_It was over. Aang had won._

"Yay!" the three children, whose eyes had never left Toph's face, cheered in unison.

"Okay, guys. That's the story-- and now it's time for _you guys_ to get to bed." Toph remained firm in many things, but especially bedtime.

"'Kay, Mommy," Piu said with a yawn. "Tuck us in?"

"You got it, honey."

Toph walked her children, eyes laden with sleep, to their rooms. Aiko's room was first, so the twins waited outside for their mother to kiss her good night. "Sweet dreams," Toph whispered, but Aiko was already asleep, comfortable under her pale pink blanket.

The twins shared a room, but not a bed -- you could _never_ do that with boys, as Sokka had discovered growing up in the Southern Water Tribe. Their matching dark blue bedsheets were warm enough to get them to sleep right away -- that was one thing Toph never had to worry about. Kissing each of the boys good night, she said, "Don't let the spider-ants get you. And don't have bad dreams, okay?" Her answer was a small snore and a muttered, "Mmm."

She exited the room, only to bump into a firm chest. Its owner said, "I'm surprised you didn't hear me coming."

"Hey, Sokka," Toph greeted him, rubbing an eye.

"I heard what you said," he replied. "That was very sweet of you."

"Not only that," Toph joked. "I was actually telling the truth -- for once. Come on, if I never lied, I would have to find _ordinary_ bedtime stories."

"Well, I don't care how often you stretch the truth. I still love you." Sokka kissed her quickly on the lips, then took her hand and led her to their own room, which was further down the hall.

"Good night, honey," Sokka whispered.

"Good night," Toph echoed. "And don't say good night again," she added, as Sokka opened his mouth. He dumbly shut it again, with a 'hmph.'

And everyone slept well that night. Hey, sometimes stories are good for the mind... and the soul.

--

**I love that first paragraph, don't you?? xD Actually, I think this may be one of my best works. YAY ME!!! xD**

**ABOUT THE NAMES: Aiko is my own creation (I think) based on Japanese names Ai, meaning "Indigo Blue," and Ko, meaning "child." Kaju is an Indian word meaning "Almond," which I think is cute. The Indian word Piu means "Lover," but I chose it because it goes well with Kaju.**

**So at one part I said, "**_one-and-a-half strange looks_**." This was referring to the fact that Toph is blind and therefore aimed improperly, instead staring at his shoulder. :P**

**Well that's about it. Review, and include any ideas you have. Okay??**

**Okay then! Bye...**

**~Lily of the Valley**


	2. AANG AND HIS WACKY NERVES

**This chapter was ... weird, to say the least. You guys remember Book 3 Chapter 9, Nightmares and Daydreams, right? Well, you know how Aang mentions snippets of other dreams that the chapter didn't show? Here's where I fill them in. YAY!!! This one's really funny. Yeah... Obviously, no pairings here. Just Aang and his wacky nerves. ****xD**

**Well? Go ahead! READ IT!!**

--

AANG AND HIS WACKY NERVES

Aang woke up, sweating. He'd been suffering from stress in the days before the eclipse and the invasion, and had just woken up from another of his strange dreams.

_He entered the Fire Lord's chamber on a gust of fog, his hair gelled and thick and his clothes covering the lower half of his face. He jumped onto the edge of a ledge, facing the giant Fire Lord himself with no fear. "Your days of tyranny are over, Fire Lord! I'm bringing you down!" Aang looked down. "And this time, I brought pants." They were chained to his legs, to be exact._

_The oversized Ozai said, "So it seems... But are you prepared for your... MaThEmAtIcS tEsT??" As he said those final words, a huge abacus dropped behind the Avatar. _

_Aang's expression turned to one of panic. "Math test?! Oh, no!! I forgot all about the math test!!"_

_While Ozai laughed, Aang fell backwards with a scream and was crushed between two of the colossal rings on the ancient calculator._

"I've got to be ready." Aang got up for another sleepless night.

Luckily, Katara interrupted him. "Aang, it's the middle of the night. You need to go back to sleep."

Aang circled around a group of sheep. "But I forgot my pants and my math test!" he explained, thinking this would justify it.

Katara took a deep breath and stopped him with a hand on his shoulder. "Aang, sleep. Please. For me."

Aang rubbed his eye, nodding. They walked together back to the sleeping bags.

The next morning, Aang woke up to an all too familiar voice. "Wake up, Aang. Wake up, rise and shine. You overslept. You missed the invasion." Ozai laughed, rising up on his giant... flying, firebreathing cow?? Aang got up with a start. "SOKKA! Get up, I need to know what day it is!!"

"Relax," Toph spoke. "It's still two days before the invasion."

Aang suddenly remembered another dream he'd had that night.

--

_They were running away from the Fire Nation's best soldiers -- they weren't benders, so the eclipse had no effect on them. _

_Sokka was climbing a tall cliff. At first, he had a good edge on them, but he began to slip. Aang had to yell, "Sokka! Watch out!" But as Sokka looked back, he let go of the cliff and plummeted down towards the waiting soldiers, who morphed into wolves as he fell into their vicious grasp. "No!!" Aang yelled._

_He looked away, unable to watch. _

_--_

_Aang, Katara, Sokka, and Toph were running towards the palace, determined to win this invasion. "Oh, no! The WORST timing!" Toph yelled, agitated. _

_"What is it?" Katara asked worriedly. _

_"I ... have to go to the bathroom," Toph admitted sheepishly. "And, NO, it can't wait."_

_"Well," Aang was quick to think. "Go quick; we'll wait. But be careful!" But as she slipped back, she was grasped by a waiting soldier, who proceeded to capture her and place her in a _wooden_ cage; one that she couldn't get out of. _

_She screamed and screamed as the cage was lit on fire by a spark rock; evidently, the Firebenders had known their powers would be eliminated._

_--_

_The four young leaders of the invasion were on their way to the Firelord's palace, surrounded by evil soldiers clad in red, gold, and black. _

_Suddenly, a train run by an entire legion of soldiers whizzed by. "I'll get it," Katara volunteered, a determined look crossing her face. _

_She got the water out of her pouch, bringing it around her head and at the train. She froze it with a cool breath, looking satisfied as the train jarred to a stop. "That'll hold it," she nodded._

_As she turned away, however, the train began to move, and her hair was caught in a doorhinge. She screamed as she was pulled away from Aang._

_"Katara!" Aang screamed, but while he was distracted, his other friends were snatched away. Aang somehow had to go on._

_Here he came to the chamber of the Firelord himself. "You've taken my friends, Firelord, but you won't take me, or any more of this world." He double checked again. "I have pants, and I'm well prepared in mathematics."_

_"Oh, but didn't you know?" the Firelord's raspy voice asked in mock surprise. "The eclipse eliminates both firebending and airbending, though the other elements remain untouched."_

_"WHAT?!" Aang hadn't known this! "NOOO!" he wailed in despair, fleeing the palace. He would need to live alone, in exile and shame, for his failure and loss of his friends._

_--_

"Sokka! You've got to get up and drill your rock climbing exercises!" Aang pulled at Sokka's legs, trying in vain to get the older teen to get up.

"What?"

"In one of my dreams, you were running from Fire Nation soldiers, trying to climb this cliff! But you were too slow, and they got you."

Sokka's expression was now one of annoyance and exasperation. "But that was just a dream. I'm a great climber!"

"Then CLIMB THAT CLIFF! Climb it fast!"

Sokka could be heard muttering under his breath as he tried to prove to the Avatar what a great climber he was. "Stupid Avatar. Stupid cliff. Stupid dream. I can climb fast!"

"Don't drink that!" Aang exclaimed, causing Toph to spit out the water she was drinking and Sokka to slide down the cliff he'd been halfway up.

"Why? Is it poisoned?!" Toph was kind of scared.

"In my dream," Aang explained, "we were right in the middle of the invasion. And you had to stop to use the bathroom! We died because of your tiny bladder! And you need to start wearing your hair up," he continued, now directing the conversation at Katara. "In my dream, your hair got caught in a train, and--"

"Aang," Katara interrupted. "I know you're just trying to help, but you really need to get a grip."

Couldn't they see that he was _saving_ his friends by giving them small pieces of helpful advice that would keep the invasion from going wrong?!

He had to do something, or they would lose.

Aang zoned out of the rest of the day, when his friends were trying to get him out of his stress. But he was on autopilot-- his mind was elsewhere.

The next time he was entirely aware of himself, the others in the Gaang had pulled together a bed that looked like a cloud. Aang slept on it-- for them. He slept peacefully for the first time in a long time; and he was finally able to imagine the Fire Lord -- the "biggest, baddest guy in the universe," as Sokka put it -- in his underwear.

--

**I couldn't end it right. BLEAH! I just don't like the way I wrote it. But someone saw it and told me to post it anyway, so here it is. **

**~LotVx3 -- That shall be my signature from now on. xD**


	3. HEART

**Hello everyone! It's me.... wait, you knew that. Anyways, so I was planning on doing a Taang drabble, but it just wouldn't come out right and I decided to come back to it later. So instead, I give you TOKO!!! As in, Toph and Zuko, as opposed to an appetizing yet somehow somewhat healthy Mexican food. : DDD**

**So, yeah. Enjoy.~**

--

Toph looked off the edge and down into the dark abyss. Okay, so it wasn't an abyss and it wasn't the edge of the world - actually, she was staring off the edge of the skating rink and down into the pond nearby, and it was pitch black out, the only lights being from the skating rink itself. It was a scary feeling, being near the only visible light, and it made her feel ... alone.

Why the hell was she still here? She couldn't find an answer. Originally, she'd come with all of her friends to celebrate Aang's birthday. And, because he was a kid like that, of course it was going to be at a kiddish place like this. She smiled a little, fingering the glowing plastic ring hanging around her neck. They'd gotten them about halfway through the party, and Toph always hated how you couldn't turn them off, and you just had to waste the retardedly happy light they gave off. So this time, she was going to be awake until her glowing ... necklace ... died. She smiled at the thought.

But now, the party was over, and she was pretty sure someone was going to turn her around and tell her she would have to leave now, miss, they're closing the rink. But she kind of liked the way she felt totally alone, like she wasn't being _observed,_ and no one was watching - which was so incredibly rare it was sweeter than chocolate.

So, Toph was quite reasonably surprised when she turned around to face the building which led to the skating rink, and saw someone who was definitely not part of the rink's staff. He watched her from a few feet away, and she silently memorized the look in his eyes - silent observance, mostly, but maybe something else. Concern?

Finally, Zuko walked - well, _skated_ - towards her with a half-smile that could never be classified as real, and asked, "Aren't you cold?"

"Nah," Toph lied. Then she hastily amended her sentiment, because lying to him made her feel weird - "Well, only my hands." _And my heart._

Zuko smiled again, this time closer to what a genuine smile might look like, and took off his gloves. She looked at him as if he were crazy - it was only December, after all - as he offered her the small, barely sufficient hand coverings that still tingled with the warmth of his fingertips. But then again, she wasn't wearing a coat or any other traditional winter apparel.

So she took the offering, with a small smile of her own. It wasn't loud, or boasting, like the way she'd smiled after beating the macho kid known as the Boulder to a pulp - no, it wasn't her trademarked smirk. Nor was it openly mischevious, like her smile when she'd fooled Sokka into forgetting she was blind ... again - no, it wasn't evil. No, this smile was just a small, sincere smile, and it made his heart stop.

Now she looked at him curiously as he reached back into the pocket of his jacket, the smile barely lingering on her face yet.

He withdrew it silently, pressed it into her hand, and walked away. _And that's for your heart,_ he may as well have said. She smiled, the same smile, only it was bigger and brighter than before. She pitied that he wasn't there to see it.

There in her hand lay his own glowing plastic ring, only his was carefully bent and twisted into the shape of a heart.

--

**Yay? Uh, yeah, that's it. Reviews would be appreciated, but if you don't have anything nice to say, save it. **

Alright, then, bye!  
~Lily


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